A duty to rescue is a concept in tort law that arises in a number of cases, describing a circumstance in which a party can be held liable for failing to come to the rescue of another party in peril. In common law systems, it is rarely formalized in statutes which would bring the penalty of law down upon those who fail to rescue. This does not necessarily obviate a moral duty to rescue: though law is binding and carries government-authorized sanctions, there are also separate ethical arguments for a duty to rescue that may prevail even where law does not punish failure to rescue.
Read more about Duty To Rescue: Common Law, Civil Law, Canadian Law, Ethical Justifications
Famous quotes containing the words duty to, duty and/or rescue:
“an age of unscrupulous and shameless book-making, it is a duty to give notice of the rubbish that cumbers the ground. There is no credit, no real power required for this task. It is the work of an intellectual scavenger, and far from being specially honourable.”
—Richard Holt Hutton (1826–1897)
“The way to transmute your iron duty into gold in everyone’s eyes is this: always deliver more than you promise.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Whether your child is 3 or 13, don’t rush in to rescue him until you know he’s done all he can to rescue himself.”
—Barbara F. Meltz (20th century)